Worm-gear-operated slag-pot construction



PATENTBD PEB. 16, 1904.

N. v@ FITTS. WORM GEAR OPERATBD SLAG POT CONSTRUGTIGN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1.902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

JNI/ENTOR. WQZZ l 4 TTQRNEK WITNESSES.-

www No. 752,635. PATENTED PEB. 16, 1904.

N. V. TITTs. WORM GEAR OPBRATED SLAG POT CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1902. N0 MODEL. 8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WJTNESSES:

IJNVENTOR.

@www .Y l BY l l /I i i v- ATTORNEY.

H: mums zum co. PHOTO-mmm wnsummcx. u. c..

` No. 752,635. PATENTEDFEB. 16', 1904. N. V. FITTS.

WORM GEAR OPERATED SLAG POT CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 19, 1902.

No MODEL. s SHEETS- SHEET a.

WJTNESSES.-

INVENTOR.

- NORA/Ex UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

NORMAN V. FITTS, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO THE COLORADO IRONWORKS COMPANY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

WORM-GEAR-OPERATED SLAG-POT CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters. Patent No. 752,635, datedFebruary 16, 1904. Application filed May 19, 1902. Serial No. 108,095.(No modell.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be itlrnown that I, NORMAN V. Firrs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State' ofColorado, have invented certain new and seful Improvements in Worm GearOpera ed Slag-Pot Constructions; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the guresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

My invention relates to improvements in Worm-gear-operated slag-potconstructions, and especially to means for manipulating the trunnionedslag pot or receptacle after dumping.

In this specification I will showand briefly describe a slag-pot truckof ordinary type, so far as general construction is concerned, and myimprovements will be set forth in detail. With a construction of thischaracter the pot or receptacle for receiving the molten slag as itcomes from the furnace is of considerable size, and a worm engaging aworm-wheel fast on a trunnion of the pot is employed for dumping ordischarging its contents, the worm being turned by a hand-crank.Heretofore the operation of returning the pot to its upright or normalposition after dumping has been accomplished by a reverse movement ofthe worm, which is slow, tedious, and results in conslderable loss oftime.

My improvement consists in providing vmeans for normally disengaging theworm In the drawings, Figure l is a central vertical section of theapparatus. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevationillustrating a slag-pot truck equipped with my improvements and showingthe slag-receptacle in the upright or normal position. Fig. l is asimilar view showing the said receptacle tipped to the dumping ordischarge position, the bowl being broken to make room for the viewabove. Fig. 5 shows the worm-manipulating lever in two positions and ona larger scale, the worm wheel and shaft and the rock-shaft being shownin section. Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating the locking device forthe worm-shaft, shown on a larger scale than in the other views.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate the body of the truck-frame, and 6 theWheels upon which the frame is mounted. On two opposite ends of theslag-receptacle 13 the truck is provided with cogged racks 5d, formingtracks for segmental gears 14, made fast to the respective trunnions l2of the said receptacle. Extending upwardly from the body of the frame onone end are two separated arms 5 8, to the upper extremity of which areattached extension-arms 5c, in which is journaled a rockshaft 7. Io theextremities of this shaft outside of its bearings are attached boxes 8,in which the worm-shaft 9 is journaled. These boxes 8 are provided withprojecting hubs 8a, made fast to the rock-shaft, whereby as thelast-named shaft is moved the Worm-shaft may be raised. The worm portion9a of this shaft engages the upper portion of the periphery of aworm-wheel 10, made fast to one of the trunnions of the slag-pot, thistrunnion being sufficiently extended for the purpose, as shown at 12d.Fast on the rock-shaft 7 is a lever-arm 15, provided with a spring-helddog 16, arranged to engage a notched bar 17, projecting upwardly fromthe frame of the truck, its upper portion being provided with a loop 17,forming a guide for the lever-arm,

Vwhich passes therethrough. When the lever is in the position shown infull lines in Fig. l and by dotted lines in Fig. 5, the worm is inengagement with the worm-wheel. The opposite extremities of theworm-shaft are fashioned to receive a detachable hand-crank 18.

From the foregoing description the use and operation ofmy improvedconstruction will be readily understood. Assuming that thehandlever andworm are in the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 5, if theworm-shaft be turned the pot or slag-receptacle 13 will .be turned onits trunnions and tilted from the position shown in Fig. 3 to thedischarge or dumping position shown in Fig. 4. Simultaneously with the dumping operation the pot is carried outwardly on one side of the truckby virtue of the engagement of .the segmental gears with the racks 5d.

To prevent the slag-pot from dumping accidentally or until the propertime, a lockingarm 19 is employed. This arm is pivoted on the rock-shaft7 and provided with a recess or notch adapted to engage a part of thewormshaft, which is angular, preferably square in cross-section. Thisconstruction is illustrated on a larger scale in Fig. 6 than in theother views. When the user is ready to dump the slag receptacle or pot,the locking device is disengaged from the worm-shaft and raised to theposition shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. The slag-pot may then bedumped by turning the worm-shaft, as will be readily understood. As soonas the slag has been discharged the lever-arm l5 is moved downwardly tothe position shown by full lines in Fig. 5, whereby the worm-shaft israised suiiiciently to disengage the worm from its wormwheel l0, whenthe slag-pot will immediately assume the upright position automaticallyby virtue of the fact that its bottom is made suiiiciently thicker orheavier than the upper portion of its walls to produce this result.

Attention is called to the fact that by virtue of the shape of theslag-pot, whereby it is small at the bottom and increases in size towardthe top when it is iilled with slag, the greater portion of the contentsis at the top, making the receptacle top-heavy, and therefore easy totip to the dumping position. By throwing out the worm when the pot isfull of slag it can when desired be dumped rapidly as well as operatedby the gears. This is permitted by reason of the fact that the pot istop-heavy when full, as aforesaid. However, as soon as the slag isdumped the reverse is true and the pot-bottom is relatively heavy byvirtue of the greater thickness of its lower portion, as described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In aslag-pot-truck construction,the combination with a truck-frame, theslag-pot, the worm-shaft and the worm-wheel engaged by said shaft, of a.rock-shaft journaled on the truck-frame parallel with the worm-shaft,boxes fast on the rock-shaft in which boxes the worm-shaft is journaled,and means for operating the rock-shaft to lift the worm from engagementwith the worm-wheel, substantially as described. I

2. The combination with a slag-pot-truck frame, the slag-pot, aworm-wheel fast on a trunnion of the pot, and a worm-shaft whose wormengages the worm-wheel, of `movable boxes in which the worm-shaft isjournaled, a lever-arm and a suitable connection between the lever-armand the movable worm-shaft boxes whereby the worm-shaft may be raisedfrom engagement with the worm-wheel, as the lever-arm is actuated,substantially as described.

3. Thecombination with the slag-pot-truck frame, the slag-pot, aworm-wheel fast on a trunnion of the pot, and a worm-shaft -whose wormengages the worm-wheel, of a rockshaft parallel with the worm-shaft,wormshaft journal-boxes provided with hubs fast on the rock-shaft, andmeans for imparting to the rock-shaft a partial rotation whereby theworm is lifted suiiciently A to disengage it from the worm-wheel,substantially as described.

4. The combination with a worm-gear-operated slag-pot, of a rock-shaftextending parallel with the worm-shaft, worm-shaft journal-boxesconnected with the rock-shaft t0 raise the worm-shaft as the rock-shaftis actuated, substantially as described.

5. The combination with aworm-gear-operated slag-pot construction, ofmeans for disengaging the worm from its worm-wheel consisting of arock-shaft having boxes in which the worm-shaft is journaled,substantially as described.

6. The combination with a worm-gear-operated slag-pot construction, ofmeans for locking the worm-shaft against accidental movement, and meansfor disengaging the wormshaft from the worm wheel comprising arock-shaft having bearings in which the wormshaft is journaled.

7. The combination withaworm-gear-operated slag-pot construction, of arock-shaft extending parallel with the worm-shaft, wormshaft bearingsfast on the rock shaft, and means for actuating the rock-shaft to raisethe worm from the worm-wheel, substantially as described. v

8. The combination with aworm-gear-operated slag-pot construction, of arock-shaft extending parallel with the worm-shaft, journalboxesconnected with the rock-shaft substantially as described, a lever-armfast on the rock-shaft, a notched guide-arm throughwhich the lever-armpasses, and a spring-held locking-dog mounted on the lever-arm andarranged to engage the notches of the guide-arm.

9. In a worm-gear-operated slag-pot construction, the combination of arock-shaft suitably journaled, a connection between the rockshaft andthe worm-shaft whereby as the rockshaft is actuated the Worm-shaft isdisengaged IOO IIO

ISO

10.` In a worm-gear-operated slag-pot con-` struction, the combinationwith a rock-shaft lying parallel with the wormshaft, worm-shaftjournal-boxes having hubs connected with the journal-boxes as described,said hubs being fast on the rock-shaft, a lever-arm fast on therock-shaft, a notched guide-arm through which the lever-arm passes, aspring-held lockingdog mounted on the lever-arm and arranged to engagethe notches of the guide-arm, and a locking-arm mounted on therock-shaft and having a recess adapted to engage a portion of theworm-shaft, to lock the latter against accidental movement, the wormshaft being formed angular in cross-section for the purpose,substantially as described.

11. In a worm-gear-operated slag-pot construction, the combination ofaroclr-shaft suitably journaled, and a connection between therock-shff't and the worm-shaft whereby as the rock-shaft is actuated theworm-shaft is disengaged from the worm-wheel.

12. In a dumping-car, the combination of a receptacle of greatest areaat its top and gradually diminishing in area to its bottom and trunnionssupporting said receptacle at apoint to permit the lower end of thereceptacle to overbalanceV the upper portion when empty and beoverbala'nced thereby when'full.

13. In a dumping-car, the combination with a semi-oval bowl orreceptacle, trunnions supporting the samein such manner that thereceptacle will be top-heavy when full, and means for slowly tilting thereceptacle or permit it to rapidly dump.

14. In a dumping-car, the combination with a receptacle, of trunnionssupporting the same in such manner that the receptacle will be topheavywhen full, segments on said trunnions, rigid platforms supporting thesegments,a worm-wheel on a trunnion, and a worm to turn said worm-wheeland roll the segments on the platforms to tilt the receptacle.

15. In a dumping-car, the combination of a receptacle pivotallysupported and top-heavy when full, a worm-wheel connected with thereceptacle, a worm to turn said worm-wheel,

and means for throwing said worm out of en-4 gagement with theworm-wheel to permit the receptable to fall to its dumping position.

In testimony whereof I aX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NORMAN V. FITTS.

